Hoopraker

The drift of Eric Gordon from peerless national regard and King Hoosier to passive, disconsolate underachiever, a trend that had a sad culmination last night in Raleigh, was one of the most disheartening Big Ten stories of the year. The player that the Hoosier nation considered a recruiting holy grail who would inevitably lead their program back to national prominence will exit Bloomington as a victim of hype and the coach who failed him. (more…)

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The punditocrats filling out their Tournament Brackets dismissively scribbled lines through Wisconsin and Michigan State. Over the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, the play of the Badgers (31-4) and the Spartans (27-8) serves as a clarifying reminder to take the myopic view of pundits, who don’t let their ignorance of Big Ten basketball dissuade them from speaking in certainties, with a grain a Mediterranean sea salt. (more…)

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The March road trips of the Indiana Hoosiers and Purdue Boilermakers, if they are to be of the long and winding variety, depend on rising above distractions, NCAA inexperience, and the best of the vaunted ACC. With two Big Ten bulls-eyes planted on the much patted backs of North Carolina and Duke, those weary of the continued maligning of the conference may get a chance for sweet revenge. (more…)

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On Saturday night at St. Elmo’s, venerable referee Ed Hightower commandeered the comfort of Hoopraker’s Table #31.  From the chairs occupied by Bruce Weber and his entourage the previous night, over a spicy shrimp cocktail, Hoopraker reflected on having just watched two of the Big Ten’s best play to the cadence of whistles. (more…)

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The Gophers overcame a referee corps that did everything in its power to get the home state Hoosiers to Saturday, the continued absence of Spencer Tollackson, and another monstrous double-double from D.J. White in notching what constitutes the first signature win of the Tubby era in the Twin Minny. (more…)

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From the tenor of their post-game victory dinner at St. Elmo’s last night, the Illinois basketball team possesses quiet confidence. Seated from the proximity of table 31, between dissecting a dry-aged porterhouse and a bottle of Mauritson, Hoopraker caught the cohesive team of young men quietly rejoicing back-to-back wins for the first time since December. (more…)

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Hoopraker’s first day in Indy was bookended by some petty theft from a taxi driver and a shank of cow saved from St. Elmo’s fire and delivered, perfectly scarred and oozing, to our table adjoining Bruce Weber and his victorious Fighting Illini. (more…)

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Hoopraker’s editorial board engaged in its annual rite of passage on Sunday night at the Spotted Pig, devoting the better part of two transcendent hours at a tiny table crowded with empty pints of Old Speckled Hen to debate, gerrymander and tabulate the 2007-08 Hoopraker All-Big Ten list. (more…)

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